


Who Would Have Thought It?

by Tinylimey1



Category: Garrison's Gorillas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:40:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27012160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tinylimey1/pseuds/Tinylimey1
Summary: New beginnings.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 3





	Who Would Have Thought It?

Who Would Have Thought It?  
A short piece inspired by everyone using the phrase:- “Who would have thought it?” when referring to the Covid situation.  
Goniff strolled the short distance through the country village to his new home. At the end of the War he had decided to bring his Mum and Aunty Molly back to Britain to make another new start and preferably as far away as possible from London and the underworld contacts he had there. The two ladies had taken to this part of Ireland like ducks to water and were already well known to the other villagers. He stopped a short distance from the house and watched them working in the garden in the glorious summer Sunday sunshine. He felt free for the first time in his life, nothing to worry his conscience and no need to keep looking over his shoulder.  
At the end of their term with the American Army, he and the other Gorillas had received their paroles and the Army, at the insistent urging of the Warden, had found them each some training, accommodation and a job offer. More than they ever expected. Goniff smiled to himself remembering the half smile and the twinkle in the Warden’s eyes when Garrison had handed him a folder containing his job offer. Who would have thought it? Now here he was working for a security firm and the police, advising them on burglar alarms and anti-intruder devices. They all owed a lot to Lieutenant Garrison. His thoughts turned to his team mates …  
*************************  
Casino parted the two young fighting reprobates by the simple expedient of taking each by the collar and standing them roughly on their feet squarely in front of him,  
“Enough of this. Remember what I told you yesterday? What part of ‘violence is the never the answer’ do you not understand?”  
“He stole my book! The one you gave me.”  
“I didn’t. You tell lies.”  
Casino sighed inwardly. Since coming to work at a centre for the rehabilitation of young offenders, in New York, he had heard so much of this sort of familiar dialogue. It reminded him of himself and Goniff but the difference was that these two seriously meant their quarrel.  
“Alright, sit down, shut up and listen.” He stood between them and gently pushed each of them into a seat away from each other and then drew up a chair and faced them.  
“Let me tell you where violence leads, real violence I mean … “  
Quietly and calmly Casino told them about some of his War experiences, some of the terrible things he had seen. These two boys were old enough to take it and he pulled no punches. Within 15 minutes, wide-eyed and pale they had apologised to each other and left the room quietly and very subdued but they left as friends. Casino had somewhere along the speech promised them each a book to replace the lost one.  
He watched them leave, then allowed himself a smile of recognition. He had, at first without realising it, dealt with the problem in the way the Warden had dealt with him and his team mates. Who would have thought that he would do that? Somehow it was very satisfying. They all owed a lot to Garrison. His thoughts turned to his team mates …  
*************************  
Chief rolled out from under the car and wiped his hands on an oily rag.  
“Okay, try her again.”  
This time the vehicle roared into life and Chief gave the driver a ‘thumbs up’ sign. It had taken all his skill to get the old vehicle back into running order but now the engine purred like a contented cat.  
As he washed his hands and prepared to go home after a long day at work he realised that contentedness was now a part of his life. He had been in trouble in a big way, more than he ever admitted, before the War had come with its chance of freedom and hope. There had been a price to pay, a price that involved putting his life on the line almost constantly behind enemy lines. He had survived that and if his girl would just say ‘yes’ tonight, then shortly he would be a married man with new responsibilities. New responsibilities in a new country. Who would have thought that he would ever live and work in New Zealand? He missed his native America but he had been back there recently and would take his new bride there for their honeymoon.  
This was all down to a man he had distrusted at first. Well, they had all four of them been unsure of Garrison but now they had a lot to thank him for. His thoughts turned to his team mates …  
*************************  
Lieutenant, now Captain, Garrison picked up his coffee and relaxed in an armchair in his office. It was quiet in there at this hour. He opened his copy of the New York Times and idly leafed through it. On one of the last pages a sub heading caught and held his attention – ‘Oldendam Museum unknowingly houses forged painting.’ Oldendam! He had been there during the War. He read on,  
‘The Senior Curator of the Oldendam Museum has spotted a fake ‘masterpiece’ which had been hanging on the museum walls for 20 years. The Curator, who comes from Italy and wishes to remain anonymous, commented, “It was easy to recognise the forgery when I had time to really peruse it. I had seen a similar thing involving a Van Loon during the War.” ‘  
Garrison grinned broadly. So that was where Actor was! He had heard from Goniff, Chief and Casino regularly in the 18 months since they had parted but Actor had remained silent. Now Garrison knew without a shadow of doubt that Actor had said this deliberately, it was his way of letting Garrison know where he was.  
Garrison’s thoughts turned to what he now thought of as his team mates. They had not had a final celebration when the War was over. At Garrison’s suggestion each man had left the mansion at a different time and they had been deliberately kept apart. He and the Army were taking no chances that the four of them would get together. With the skills and teamwork they had achieved during their term of service, they would have been unbeatable in the criminal underworld. Garrison had been determined to give them a chance. Now though they should be settled in their new lives. Now was the time for a reunion. He put down the paper and picked up his phone …


End file.
